Congressman to NFL players: 'Put up or shut up' on HGH testing

3:06 PM, April 3, 2013
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Congressman Elijah Cummings questions former New York Yankees baseball pitcher Roger Clemens during the House Oversight and Government Reform committee hearing on drug use in baseball on Feburary 13, 2008 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. / Tim Sloan, Getty Images

by Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY Sports

by Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY Sports

NFL players could be called to Capitol Hill for a hearing within three months if the stalemate between the league and players union continues to delay implementation of Human Growth Hormone (HGH) testing in the NFL, congressman Elijah Cummings told USA TODAY Sports.

"It's either put up or shut up," Cummings said during an interview Wednesday. "They'll have to explain to the American public, why there's no testing. I don't think that it would be a pretty picture."

Cummings, a representative from Maryland, is the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform that is chaired by Rep. Darrell Issa, a republican from California.

The committee has been the most active body on Capitol Hill pressuring the NFL and NFL Players Association to resolve differences that have stalled the testing that the sides declared they were committed to upon striking a new labor deal in Aug. 2011.

The committee held its last hearing in December, which primarily focused on the science behind the testing -- which players have questioned. No active players have testified at any of the prior hearings, but the committee warned in late January that calling players to the Hill represented the next high-profile step.

Cummings, who blames the players' union for stalling, has now attached a virtual timetable to that threat that extends to early July -- before the opening of NFL training camps.

"They are pushing our committee into a corner," Cummings said, "where we won't have any choice but for them to come to Washington."

The sides have exchanged multiple proposals over nearly two years, with a current snag revolving around the appeals process. The NFL's last proposal was offered before players union meetings in early March, but is still awaiting a union response.

NFLPA officials were not immediately available for comment Wednesday, but have maintained they will not agree to a plan that does not address the appeals process to their satisfaction, which could involve the science and process of the testing.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said recently he is hopeful that testing will occur for the 2013 season -- echoing the optimism he expressed last year. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Wednesday he hoped the sides would collaborate to strike a deal soon that would circumvent the need for a hearing.

"These kinds of hearings are not good for anyone," Aiello told USA TODAY Sports.

Of the Congressional committee's concerns that testing remains stalled, Aiello added, "We understand their frustration and frankly, share in that."

Without testing, it is unclear how many NFL players might currently use HGH. Cummings believes the credibility of the league and clean players is tarnished by the absence of testing, which could send the right message to the youth who look up to pro athletes.

With testing, Cummings said, "It would be clear that no one is hiding anything."

Cummings said he became optimistic the issue would be resolved soon after Major League Baseball and the MLBPA agreed to an HGH testing plan in January.

Now he is hopeful that the threat of a Congressional hearing will spark movement.

"I don't believe the players will let it get that far," Cummings said.

Cummings hasn't spoken directly to leaders from the NFL or NFLPA in months, but said staff members have maintained consistent contact. He clearly places the blame for the lack of testing on the players, but expresses a "feeling" that they will move.

"I think they've pretty much run out of arguments," Cummings said.

"I'm a players' supporter," he added, "but this is unreasonable."

With the federal government in the midst of a budget crisis underscored by sequestration, there are obviously more pressing matters on Capitol Hill than HGH testing in the NFL. Cummings acknowledges that; he said HGH testing doesn't rank in the top 10 of his priorities.

"But it's still very important," he said. "We try to do more than one thing at a time, all the time. But on this issue, it's overdue.